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Repent or Perish!

A growing debate in our fundamental churches is the issue of repentance. Since large churches are often built by "not scaring anyone away," it is becoming very common to hear sermons and read newsletters which proclaim a repentless salvation. That is, many are boldly proclaiming that one does not have to repent of his sins to be saved. I recently heard a message on tape by a very popular preacher who stated that every New Testament command to repent is addressed to a saved person. His reasoning was that lost people just need to trust Christ and not worry about sins. This man has preached this doctrine for many years, and many have followed in his steps. Most any Bible-believing preacher or personal worker can tell you numerous stories about the so-called "Christians" they've met who were supposedly saved after repeating a brief prayer. There was no Holy Ghost conviction, no change of attitude about the world, the flesh, or their numerous sins, and there was no evidence of a new life after their conversion. Yet, this person was "chalked up" as another new addition to the kingdom of God.

I know of a church which used to send out a monthly bulletin which gave the totals for their converts and baptisms for the month. Nearly every issue stated that between two and three hundred people had been saved in the previous thirty days. This went on for about three or four years, which means that over 7,000 people made professions. Did this church have 7,000 members? No, they did not. Did they have at least 5,000? No, they did not. At least 1,000? Nope. Maybe 500? I think not! On a big day this church might break 300. On an average Sunday, their attendance was less than 200 people. They had 200 in attendance, yet they really believed that they had been leading 200 to Christ every month for over thirty-six months straight! One of their members ran into me at the county fair one night where we were passing out tracts. He said, "Hey, we've had twelve saved tonight!" I don't know if these twelve ever made it to church, but I'm certain they made the monthly bulletin.

The trouble is that too many preachers have been convinced that getting a profession and getting folks to church is the main thing. "If we can just get them in church, we can work on the repentance later" seems to be the rule of the day. Another rule goes like this: "We don't want to say or do anything to scare them off." Naturally, the word "repent" scares the daylights out of lost people, so repentance is forsaken in order to get the person to make a profession and maybe even come to church. As the years roll by, the church becomes a great big nursery filled with lost people and spiritual babies. Less than ten percent of the membership does over ninety percent of the spiritual work of the church. However, the weak majority still FEELS important because they have their picture in the church directory, and they get to argue and vote in business meetings.

This whole stinking mess started when the ambitious preacher got the "bright" idea to ignore a word that occurs over one hundred times in the Bible in its various forms. With the inspired words of God being our guide, let us study the subject of repentance and hopefully help someone to stay on the straight and narrow way.

Repentance in the Bible has three basic elements: a genuine sorrow towards God (II Cor. 7:9-10), a genuine separation from sin (Heb. 6:1; Acts 26:20), and a genuine submission to God's will (Acts 9:6; 1Thess. 1:9). In other words, repentance involves a totally changed life. II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." According to the Bible, all things are new once a man is in Christ, and old things are passed away. Repentance is certainly a requirement. Jesus began his ministry preaching, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat. 4:17) In Matthew 9:13 he said, ". . . I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He upbraided cities in Matthew 11:20 "because they repented not." Repentance is required for salvation, and no honest and serious student of Scripture can claim otherwise.

But let's not stop here. The Bible offers many clear commands for preachers to deal with sin and repentance. In Isaiah 58:1, God says, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

How about Isaiah 55:6-7? "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." God is holy, and he demands that we forsake sin in order to have his fellowship.

We use Isaiah 1:18 a lot in dealing with lost people: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." That's a great verse, but so are verses 16 and 17: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." God isn't just interested in forgiveness; he's first interested in repentance.

Do you want more? Consider some words from Ezekiel: "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 18:30-31) "Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers." (Ezekiel 20:4) "Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations." (Ezekiel 22:2) Why so much emphasis on sin? Doesn't God know that such negative preaching will scare people away?! Maybe some of the brethren need to send the Lord one of their milky and repentless newsletters to inform him of his errors. Just imagine how many souls could be "saved" if we would all just shut up about sin and repentance!

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NEW LIFE FACT I

BELIEVE YOU ARE VALUABLE AS GOD’S CREATION
YOU ARE CREATED in God’s image to share His life, love, purpose and creative plan. You are therefore infinitely valuable to Him. He is saying to you, right now: “I love you. I created my best when I created you. I paid a price for you and you are worth all I ever paid for you. I have destined my best for you.
God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. In the likeness of God he created male and female.2

God made nothing inferior. He is first class all the way. He created you unique. You are exceptional —one-of-a-kind Before you were born, you existed in God’s mind. He knew this world would need you at this time. He planned you with a special purpose that no one but you could fulfil because no one on earth could do what you are here to do. Your God-given value does not depend on special genes from superior parents. Your worth before God is not measured by your assets, the colour of your skin, super intelligence or formal education. All sorts of miracles start happening when you discover and accept your value and your potential.

The Bible says, You are God’s workmanship.3 The man who wrote most of the Psalms was wonder-struck by how God made human persons. The Lord made people a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor4 (K.J.V. a little lower than the angels. The original Hebrew word used is “Elohim” — God, as used in Ge.1:l.)
The Lord gave them dominion over the works of his hands; he put all things under their feet.5
The bottom line of positive and stable self-esteem is when you can say: “I accept the value that God has put on me. When you do that, you will then cooperate with God to develop the best possible you in this world.

Self-value will rid you of all jealousy because you will never again want to be anyone else.6
Self-value will wipe out inferiority because you are in God’s class of being and He, in you, is greater than any person or any power outside of you.7
Self-value will eliminate fear of failure or defeat because nothing can stop you and God working together.8
Self-value will give you courage because you discover that with God at work in you, you become indomitable.9
Self-value will cause you to stand up tall, to square your shoulders, to look out into the future with new confidence, to walk with a steady stride, and to rise to the level of importance for which God created you. ‘
God created human persons as much like Himself as any child can be like its natural parents.
God planned that whatever could be said about Him, could be said about you.’
God never planned you or me for poverty, inferiority, sickness, depression, want or insecurity. 12
God never created anything inferior — not you —not any human person.’3

As this powerful principle takes root, you begin to see and respect yourself as a member of divine royalty. 14
God’s family is supposed to represent Him and to reflect His lifestyle on earth. Recognise your value. When you do, you cause the seeds of greatness to germinate in you.’5 Keep those seeds watered by thinking on them and reaffirming your value until your attitude and conduct are transformed.

Now say this to God, out loud.

I RECOGNIZE my value, that You created me in Your own image and likeness. Whatever can be said about You can be said about me as Your offspring.

My life is Your very breath — Your life in human form. Your best material is in me. I am the product of love. Tam created for greatness, crowned with glory and honour, to have dominion over all of Your works.

THANK YOU, LORD. I have had a rebirth of self-worth. Knowing that I am created in Your image and likeness reminds me of my divine origin, of my high purpose, of my infinite value.

I shall never again depreciate the me that You value so much. I shall never again put down what You have lifted up. I am not a nobody. I am a real somebody.

AMEN!

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NEW LIFE FACT II
KNOW THAT DISTRUSTING GOD’S WORD IS THE ORIGINAL AND BASIC PROBLEM
GOD’S DREAM for humanity is recorded in the Bible book of Genesis. His plan was to reproduce Himself in Adam and Eve and to have companionship with them.
But their friendship had to be two-way. God would need to be sure that Adam and Eve wanted Him, like He wanted them. They were not required or forced to respect Him any more than you are.
God placed them in the garden of Eden and gave them every tree that is pleasant to the eye and good for food; and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden.’

The only condition: Since they were created in God’s image, to share His lifestyle, they were to trust what
He said. God made one single restriction to measure their faith and confidence in His dream for them. He said:
Of every tree of the garden you may free/v eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.2

They were expected to have confidence in what God said and that is all that He expects of you and me.
Satan, God’s enemy, heard of God’s dream and con­ceived a scheme to induce Adam and Eve to betray
God’s trust.
Satan came into the garden.3 He contradicted God, asserting himself as an authority, and said: If you eat of that tree, you will not surely die.4
Eve took of the fruit and ate it, and gave some to her husband with her; and he ate it.
That was the original sin — distrusting God’s word.
Say this to God.
PRAYER:
LORD, now I understand why faith is so impor­tant. That is all You ask of me — just to believe
Your word.
I now realise that lack of confidence in Your word was the original sin. Your friendship and compan­ionship with me depend on our mutual trust. You want to know that I desire Your company and Your lifestyle, just like You have proven that You desire mine, And the only way I can prove my affection for You, is to trust what You say.
I have not done that hi the past. I now realise why I have had to walk alone. I have played into the enemy’s hands by abusing the trust of life You placed in me.
WITH THE KNOWLEDGE of this basic prob­lem, I come to You, 0 Lord, convinced that Your word and Your way is the only basis for the abun­dant and blessed life You created me for.</p> From today, my choice shall always be to totally trust in Your living word.
AMEN!
Bible References
Gen 2:9; Gen 3:1; Gen 3:6; Gen 2:16-17; Ge.3:4

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